Aston Villa History & Records

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History
Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston, Birmingham. Members of the Aston Villa cricket team were looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months and decided to adopt the new sport of football. The 'Four Founding Fathers' were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. Little did they know that the team they formed would go on to become the most famous and admired football club in the world by the end of Queen Victoria's reign.

Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team and as a condition of the match, the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under rugby rules and the second half under football rules! Amazingly Villa managed to hold St Mary's to a scoreless draw up to half time and in the second half won the historic affair by one goal, scored by Jack Hughes. Villa won their first honour, the Birmingham Challenge Cup in 1880, under the captaincy of Scotsman George Ramsay. The club won its first FA Cup in 1887, by which time football had become professional. However, the Scottish draper and director of Aston Villa, William McGregor had become frustrated with one-sided friendly matches and low attendances for all games but FA Cup ties. He saw that in order to keep interest in the game alive the top teams needed to play each other in a league much like American baseball teams did. So he wrote to the 12 leading clubs in England proposing the formation of a league. The reason the Football League was never called the English League is because McGregor intended Scottish and Welsh teams to join eventually. Naturally, Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 finishing runners-up.

It didn't take long for Villa to lift their first League Championship trophy, and this was achieved in 1893/94. This would signal the start of Aston Villa's 'Golden Age' and by the start of the First World War the club had won the League Championship six times and the FA Cup five times, including in 1896/97, a League and Cup Double, a feat which would not be repeated for more than 60 years.

Although they remained a major force after the war, winning their sixth FA Cup in 1920, the club began a slow decline. This can be attributed in large part to a complacency which culminated in the unthinkable, the most famous and successful football club in world being relegated to the Second Division in 1936. However, throughout the 1920's and into the 1930's the club had many fine international players (in 1933/34 Villa had no fewer than 14 full internationals) and continued to challenge for honours, Villa were FA Cup runners-up in 1924 and second in the League in 1931 and 1933. Throughout this period the Villa Park crowds were entertained with attacking football and goals galore, in season 1930/31 Tom 'Pongo' Waring scored 49 of Aston Villa's 128 league goals, however Villa were denied the title by the sensational Arsenal team of the 30's.

The club's decision to appoint their first manager coincided with relegation for the first time in 1935/36. This was largely due a dismal defensive record, they conceded 110 goals, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in the infamous 1-7 defeat at Villa Park. However 'The Grand Old Man' of football was crowned Second Division Champions in 1937/38 under the guidance of Jimmy Hogan; Aston Villa were back where they belonged by the outbreak of The Second World War. Seven seasons were lost and many careers were finished due to the conflict and Aston Villa went about rebuilding the team under the guidance of former player, Alex Massie. The remainder of the 1940s and the 1950s saw Villa try to re-establish themselves as a top team. However, Villa could only be described as average during this period, although they had some good players and attendances were high. Season 1956/57 saw Villa go on an unexpected FA Cup run that would culminate in them defeating the 'Busby Babes' of Manchester United in the final. It was Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years.

However this success proved to be a false dawn with the team finishing 14th in the league the following season. Eric Houghton was sacked (after refusing to resign) when relegation loomed in 1958/59. His successor Joe Mercer was unable to prevent the club being relegated for the second time in 1959. Again a complacency had set in at the club, the famous Aston Villa had won the FA Cup for a record seventh time, this only served to fuel the belief that Villa were too good to go down. A return to the top flight was assured however in 1960 when Villa were crowned Second Division Champions. Season 1960/61 saw Villa win the inaugural League Cup and finish respectably in the league, this was achieved with an exciting nucleus of youth players who became known as 'Mercer's Minors'.

The slow decline continued throughout the 1960s due to a deep seated malaise; the club had failed to adapt to the new football reality, they had a non-existent scouting network, coaching was conducted in the same way as it had been 40 years earlier and the 5 man board contained 3 members over the age of 70. It was the board who decided that they couldn't refuse offers for their two most valuable players, Phil Woosnam and Tony Hateley. Without their goals Villa were in real trouble and were relegated for the third time, under manager Dick Taylor in 1967. The fans' calls for the board to resign became more and more urgent when Villa finished 16th in the Second Division in 1968. In a desperate attempt to avert total disaster, relegation to the Third Division, the manager, Tommy Cummings was given £200,000 to spend on new players, and with supporters boycotting Villa's home games in protest at the board, debts mounted. Events on the pitch came to a head in November 1968, with Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two; the board sacked Cummings and within weeks the entire board resigned due to overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of the club was bought by London financier Pat Matthews, he also brought in Doug Ellis as chairman and Tommy Docherty as manager.

However, despite breathing new life into the club and initial success, Docherty was unable to lift the team out of the danger zone and he was sacked after just a year in charge. His successor Vic Crowe, was unable to prevent Aston Villa from being relegated to the Third Division for the first time its history. Amazingly the following season Villa reached the League Cup final after beating Manchester United in the semi-final. They were eventually defeated in the final by two late Tottenham goals. The only way was up for Villa and in 1971/72 they finished top of the league with a team that was simply too good for Division Three. The team narrowly missed out on successive promotions when they finished third on their return to Second Division football in 1972/73. However the following season Villa struggled and Doug Ellis sacked Crowe replacing him with Ron Saunders.

Aston Villa's centenary season provided the double success of a League Cup final victory over Norwich and promotion to the First Division after an absence of eight seasons in 1974/75. Villa were back and due to their League Cup success were in Europe for the first time. Although Villa were knocked out in the first round by Antwerp, Saunders was assembling a team that would go on to win the European Cup seven years later. Villa won the League Cup again in 1977 by beating Everton after two final replays. The following season saw Villa reach the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup where they held their own against Spanish giants, Barcelona. That night at the Nou Camp finally laid to rest the nightmare of the previous 10 years; Aston Villa were finally back amongst the footballing elite.

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The ups and downs of the 1980s
The 1980s was another mixed era in the history of Aston Villa football club. Villa won the Football League Championship, fighting off competition from Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, in 1981 under the managership of Ron Saunders. Saunders quit halfway through the following season (1981-82) and was replaced by his assistant manager Tony Barton. In May 1982, just three months after being appointed manager, Barton guided Villa to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final. Key players in this side included Des Bremner, Peter Withe and Gordon Cowans. Barton remained in charge until the summer of 1984, when he was sacked after a disappointing season which had seen the club finish 10th in the First Division. His successor was Graham Turner who had taken Shrewsbury Town from being Fourth Division strugglers into being an established Second Division side. Turner was sacked in September 1986 and his successor Billy McNeill was unable to save the club from finishing bottom of the First Division and being relegated - just five years after Villa had been champions of Europe.

McNeill left in the summer of 1987 to become manager of Celtic. Villa chairman Doug Ellis gave the manager's job to Graham Taylor, who had transformed the fortunes of Watford in 10 years of management. A significant addition to the Villa squad was attacking midfielder David Platt, a 21-year-old signing from Crewe Alexandra for £200,000. Platt was instrumental in getting Villa back into the top flight at the first time of asking as they finished Second Division runners-up in 1988.

Villa narrowly avoided relegation from the First Division in 1989 but in 1990 they surprised everyone by finishing runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division. Taylor left shortly afterwards to replace Bobby Robson as England manager, but Taylor would eventually be villified by the British press for his failures as national coach. Villa meanwhile appointed Czech coach Jozef Venglos as their new manager - the first time that a foreign manager had taken charge of a top division club.

The 1990s: more mixed fortunes
Jozef Venglos spent one season as manager of Aston Villa (1990-91). He stepped down after they finished just two places above the First Division relegation zone and David Platt was sold to Italian side Bari for £5 million. Aston Villa's new manager was Ron Atkinson, who had achieved considerable success with West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and more recently Sheffield Wednesday. He spent heavily, making expensive additions to the squad including Earl Barrett, Dean Saunders, Dalian Atkinson, Kevin Richardson, Ray Houghton and Shaun Teale. The policy nearly paid off in 1993 when Aston Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United (Atkinson's old club) in the inaugural Premier League. Villa gained their revenge over United with a 3-1 League Cup final victory the following season (which prevented United from winning a unique domestic treble) but Villa's league form slipped and they finished tenth in 1994.

Atkinson was sacked in November 1994 with Villa battling relegation, just 18 months after they had almost won the league. His successor Brian Little did well to keep a demoralised team in the Premiership and in the summer of 1995 reshaped the squad by selling most of the club's older players and buying in many younger players. New arrivals included Alan Wright, Gary Charles, Ian Taylor, Mark Draper, Savo Milosevic, Gareth Southgate and Tommy Johnson. Several home grown players were also progressing well, especially striker Dwight Yorke and defender Ugo Ehiogu.

Aston Villa made huge progress in 1995-96 under Brian Little. They won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup semi finals and finished fourth in the Premiership. Dwight Yorke was now established as a world class striker and other players like Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate were already gaining international recognition. Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1996 and again in 1997, without making any real progress, and Little resigned in February 1998 with Villa 15th in the Premiership and with relegation looking a real possibility.

Little's successor John Gregory, a former Aston Villa coach who had left to take charge of Wycombe Wanderers 18 months earlier, revitalised the club's fortunes and they finished seventh in the Premiership and qualified for the UEFA Cup; due to the progress of other teams in the top seven it was the first time that a seventh placed club has automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Despite the £12.6million sale of Dwight Yorke to Manchester United in August 1998, John Gregory had guided Aston Villa to the top of the Premiership by the middle of the 1998-99 season. New signings Paul Merson and Dion Dublin were proving to be worth the money, while 18-year-old defender Gareth Barry was easily the most competent young player in the Premiership that season. But Villa's form slipped during the final weeks and they finished sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

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Villa in the Premiership (1992-2006)
Atkinson spent heavily, making expensive additions to the squad including Earl Barrett, Dean Saunders, Andy Townsend, Dalian Atkinson, Kevin Richardson, Ray Houghton and Shaun Teale. The policy nearly paid off in 1993 when Aston Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United (Atkinson's old club) in the inaugural Premier League. During that season, the strike partnership of Saunders and Atkinson was an instant hit with the Villa Park faithful and established itself as one of the most feared partnerships in the Premiership.

Villa gained their revenge over United with a 3-1 League Cup final victory the following season (which prevented United from winning a unique domestic treble) to secure a second successive UEFA Cup campaign. It was fine compensation for Atkinson's men, who had finished tenth after a slump in league form. Atkinson was dismissed in November 1994 following a poor start to the season, just 18 months after they had almost won the league championship, secured a UEFA Cup place and secured their first trophy in a decade.

Atkinson's successor Brian Little did well to keep a demoralised team in the Premiership and in the summer of 1995 reshaped the squad by selling most of the club's older players and buying in many younger players. New arrivals included Alan Wright, Gary Charles, Ian Taylor, Mark Draper, Savo Milošević, Gareth Southgate and Tommy Johnson. Several home grown players were also progressing well, especially striker Dwight Yorke and defender Ugo Ehiogu.

Aston Villa made huge progress in 1995-96 under Brian Little. They won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup semi finals and finished fourth in the Premiership. Dwight Yorke was now established as a world class striker and other players like Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate were already gaining international recognition. Villa's form dipped slightly in 1996-97 and they finished fifth, but still qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Brian Little quit in February 1998 with Villa standing 15th in the Premiership, and his successor John Gregory, a former Aston Villa coach who had left to take charge of Wycombe Wanderers 18 months earlier, revitalised the club's fortunes and they finished seventh in the Premiership and qualified for the UEFA Cup; due to the progress of other teams in the top seven it was the first time that a seventh placed club had automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Despite the £12.6million sale of Dwight Yorke to Manchester United in August 1998, John Gregory had guided Aston Villa to the top of the Premiership by the middle of the 1998-99 season. New signings Paul Merson and Dion Dublin were proving to be worth the money, while 18-year-old defender Gareth Barry was easily the most competent young player in the Premiership that season. But Villa's form slipped during the final weeks and they finished sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

Villa reached the FA Cup final in 2000 (for the first time since 1957), but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in a poor game. 2000-01 saw Villa finish eighth in the Premiership, although they did eventually qualify for the UEFA Cup after a successful campaign in the Intertoto Cup over the summer of 2001. Gregory quit the club in January 2002 with Villa occupying an increasingly familiar place around the middle of the Premiership.

Chairman Doug Ellis made a surprise decision to appoint Graham Taylor as manager for the second time after Gregory's sudden resignation in January 2002. Villa finished the 2001-02 season in eighth place, which was similar to most of their other Premiership finishes. Taylor quit as manager for the second time after the end of the 2002-03 season. Villa had just finished 16th in the Premiership, losing twice to arch rivals Birmingham City. Only their fine home form had saved them from relegation. Taylor's second reign at Villa had been little short of disastrous, and he had fielded some of the least popular players ever to pull on the famous claret-and-blue shirt; Bosko Balaban signed by John Gregory on 24/08/2001 (who made eight substitute appearances in three seasons despite costing nearly £6million), Alpay Özalan and Peter Enckelman.

David O'Leary, who had taken Leeds United to the semi-finals of the 2000-01 Champions League, was drafted in as Taylor's replacement. After a poor start to the season, O'Leary transformed the team's fortunes and by Spring 2004 they were in contention for a UEFA Champions League place. But a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester United saw them finish sixth in the Premiership and narrowly miss out on a UEFA Cup place. O'Leary failed to build on the early promise and Villa's form dipped, managing to achieve only 10th place in 2004-05. The following season saw Villa slip even further, flirting dangerously close to relegation, finishing in 16th place with the worst points total in their Premiership history.

Frustration within the club appeared to be coming to a head. On 14 July, a group of Villa players took the unprecedented step of criticising the chairman's alleged parsimony and lack of ambition in an interview with a local newspaper. The club immediately dismissed the report as "ridiculous", but it emerged over the following few days that a group of senior players had indeed instigated the move, possibly with O'Leary's backing.

The following week, David O'Leary left the club by mutual consent after three years as Aston Villa manager and his assistant Roy Aitken became caretaker manager.

The Takeover:
Doug Ellis introduced Martin O'Neill to over a thousand jubilant fans and the press as the Aston Villa manager at a press conference on 4 August 2006. John Robertson and Steve Walford also joined the managerial team as assistant manager and coach respectively.

At the press conference O'Neill stated "It's absolutely fantastic to be back and with a club such as this. This is a fantastic challenge. I am well aware of the history of this football club. Trying to restore it to its days of former glory seems a long way away - but why not try? It is nearly 25 years since they won the European Cup but that is the dream".

After 23 years as chairman and single biggest shareholder (approx 38%), Doug Ellis finally decided to sell his stake in Aston Villa. This was a decision welcomed by many Villa fans, who felt that fresh blood and better investment was needed to recapture the glory years. The decision was likely to have been prompted by Ellis' ill-health. In September 2005, the club was put up for sale. There followed 10 months of little serious interest, save for an abortive bid by local businessman and self-professed life-long Villa fan Michael Neville, who formed a consortium backed by Irish property developers the Comer brothers.

After the consequences of the infamous "Villa Statement" in July 2006 saw the departure of David O'Leary, Ellis reiterated his desire to sell the club, stating that there were several interested parties, "which may or may not lead to an offer for the club". The hunt for a new manager was put on the back burner as the bidding started. Neville, once more, stated his desire to buy the club, but he was joined by the AV06 consortium of QC Nicholas Padfield, a group put together by Sven-Göran Eriksson's agent Athole Still, and the owner of NFL franchise, the Cleveland Browns, Randy Lerner.

The conclusion of the Lerner deal became a formality on 25 August when it was announced that he had secured 59.69% of the club's shares, effectively ending the Doug Ellis era at Villa Park. The 21 day period for shareholders to sell their shares expired on 4 September, and it was announced that Lerner had acquired just over 85% of the club's shares. The offer period was extended until 18 September in order to give Lerner an opportunity to obtain his desired 90% share, then extended again when it became clear that Lerner was going to achieve that share without difficulty. On 26 September it was announced that Lerner had achieved a 90% shareholding, and could complete his buy-out of the rest of the shares . General Charles C Krulak, Bob Kain and Michael Martin are Villa's new non-executive directors, and Lerner appointed Richard FitzGerald as Chief Executive to replace the long departed Bruce Langham, who resigned in May 2005. Along with this Lerner is also trying to tie up a £100million+ sponsorship deal, that would see Martin O'Neill given a huge war chest for the up coming transfer windows. In October 2006, rumours were started that linked Lerner with a deal to remove "Villa Park" as the club's historical home name and replace it with that of a sponsor. Although no names have been put forward for the renaming of the stadium, on the 7th February 2007 Aston Villa announced that their kit sponsor for the 07/08 Barclays Premiership season would be Nike. With Randy Lerner owning the club and controlling the purse strings, the first six months in control saw the club make two multi million pound signings in the shape of Ashley Young and Stiliyan Petrov. There has been further speculation that other high-profile signings will follow them into Villa Park.

Although he would no longer have any power at the club, Ellis was given an President Emeritus (Life President) role.

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Founders of the Football League:
Today's Premier league owes its existence to the Football league. that in turn, owes their beginnings to Aston Villa.

The infamous Summer Lane, Aston, was were it all began in a small but significant drapers shop. The owner was a canny middle-aged Scotsman by the name of William McGregor, who was also a director of the newly formed professional football club Aston Villa. His close friend and businessman, Joe Tillotson, a regular Villa supporter, who kept a small eating house or coffee shop, as we know them today, discussed the fear other clubs in the country had, that was attracting larger crowds to pay at the turnstiles.

At this time clubs only played friendly games within the vicinity of their origins. There was the occasional game or cup competition, but they were badly organised, when on occasions, teams from the north came down. Football in Lancashire was very popular and drew on large crowds each week. A local newspaper journalist who reported on the local games, had copied the American Baseball system of giving winning teams a status over the losing sides.

McGregor could well see the possibilities in this approach and called for a board meeting with his fellow directors and put forward his idea, that all teams should meet on a home and away basis and all fixtures must be fixed for the football season. The midnight oil burnt for many months.

Most of the clubs were frightened by the wrath of the Football Association, and were not to interested in this idea of McGregor's. The football league as we know it today, bares witness to the seeds of William McGregor, to the fact there is indeed no organisation quite like it.

Indeed it has been copied and revered as the acme of efficiency and incorruptibility. During its long history the Football league has survived many battles of change the impact of two world wars many social changes and still it marches proudly on looking forward to the future.

Where I wonder, would football be without Aston Villa Football Club.

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Club colours & crest
The club colours are claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, sky blue socks with claret and white trim. They were the original wearers of these famous colours and other teams, notably West Ham, Burnley and Scunthorpe adopted the same colours. Villa's colours at the outset were generally comprised of plain shirts, either white or grey or a shade of blue, with either white or black shorts. For a few years after that (1877-79) The team wore several different kits from all white, blue and black, red and blue to plain green. By 1880 black jerseys with a red lion embroidered on the chest were introduced by William McGregor. Some believe Villa legend George Ramsay played a part in the introduction of the Scottish 'Rampant Lion'. This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, 8 November 1886, an entry in the club's official minute book states: Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue shirts and that we order two dozen. Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at the lowest quotation. The chocolate colour later became claret.

No-one is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours. Several theories abound. One such theory suggests that a meeting of the club's directors took place in the Barton's Arms public house in Newtown, Birmingham. One item on the agenda was the club's colours. The directors could not decide but noticed that the pub had blue and red tiles on the wall. These colours were adopted with the red changing slightly to claret. The tiles can still be seen in the pub to this day. Another theory suggests that the Scottish connection with the early years of the club being so great (e.g. George Ramsay and William McGregor) that the club adopted the colours on the coat of arms of the Duke of Edinburgh (claret and blue).

Despite the fact that Villa won the European Cup in 1982, they have not had the opportunity to wear the star on the shirt that other winners have been able to. This is due to F.A. rules forbidding the star to be worn in domestic competition. Since Aston Villa have not been in European competition since this new tradition was adopted, they have not been allowed to wear the star. There is hope that a European place in the 07/08 season will allow the star to be present for the 25th Anniversary of Villa's title win.

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Founded: 1874

Professional: 1885

Club Nickname: The Villans

Board of Directors
Chairman: Randy Lerner
Chief Executive: Richard FitzGerald
Non-Executive Director: Charles Krulak
Non-Executive Director: Bob Kain
Non-Executive Director: Michael Martin

Management and coaching staff
Manager: Martin O'Neill
Assistant Manager: John Robertson
First Team Coach: Steve Walford
Chief Scout: Ian Storey-Moore
Physiotherapist: Alan Smith
Physiotherapist: Stuart Walker
Goalkeeping Coach: Seamus McDonagh
Reserve Team Coach: Kevin MacDonald
Youth Team Coach: Gordon Cowans
Youth Team Coach: Tony McAndrew
Performance Analyst: Patrick Riley

Previous Grounds:
1874 Wilson Road
1876-1897 Wellington Road, Perry Bar
1897 Villa Park

Records:
Record Attendance: 76588 vs Derby County 02/03/1946 FA Cup R6
Best league win: 12 - 2 vs Accrington Stanley 12/03/1892 Division 1
Worst league loss: 0-7 vs Blackburn Rovers 19/10/1899 Division 1
Best cup win: 13 - 0 vs Wednesbury Old Athletic 30/10/1886 FA Cup R1
Most capped player: Paul McGrath, 51 caps, Republic of Ireland
Most Appearances: Charlie Aitken, 561 appearences, 1961/76
Record Goalscorer: Billy Walker, 244 goals, 1920-33
Most Goals in a season: Tom 'Pongo' Waring: 49, 1930/31, Division 1
Highest Transfer fee received: £12,600,000, Dwight Yorke August 1998
Highest Transfer fee paid: £9,500,000, Juan Pablo Angel, River Plate, 13 January 2001

Appearance Records
Charlie Aitken 660
Billy Walker 531
Gordon Cowans 528
Joe Bache 474
Allan Evans 469
Nigel Spink 460
Tommy Smart 452
Johnny Dixon 430
Dennis Mortimer 406
Billy George 402
Gareth Barry 392

All Time Leading Goalscorers
Billy Walker 244
Harry Hampton 242
John Devey 187
Joe Bache 185
Eric Houghton 170
Tom 'Pongo' Waring 167
Johnny Dixon 144
Peter McParland 120
Billy Garraty 112
Dai Astley 100
Len Capewell 100

Managers
Aug 1884 - May 1926: George Ramsay (Secretary)
August 1926 - May 1934: W J Smith (Secretary)
June 1934 - October 1935: Jimmy McMullan
November 1936 - September 1939: Jimmy Hogan
August 1945 - August 1950: Alex Massie
December 1950 - August 1953: George Martin
September 1953 - November 1958: Eric Houghton
December 1958 - July 1964: Joe Mercer
July 1964 - May 1967: Dick Taylor
July 1967 - November 1968: Tommy Cummings
December 1968 - January 1970: Tommy Docherty
January 1970 - May 1974: Vic Crowe
June 1974 - February 1982: Ron Saunders
February 1982 - June 1984: Tony Barton
July 1984 - September 1986: Graham Turner
September 1986 - May 1987: Billy McNeill
May 1987 - July 1990: Graham Taylor
July 1990 - May 1991: Jozef Venglos
July 1991 - November 1994: Ron Atkinson
November 1994 - February 1998: Brian Little
February 1998 - January 2002: John Gregory
February 2002 - May 2003: Graham Taylor
May 2003 - July 2006 : David O'Leary
Aug 2006 - present : Martin O'Neill


Club Honours
European Cup 1982
European Super Cup 1983
Inter-Toto Cup 2001
FA Cup 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957
League Cup 1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996
League Champions 1893-1894, 1895-1896, 1896-1897, 1898-1899, 1899-1900, 1909-1910, 1980-1981
Second Division Champions 1937-1938, 1959-1960
Third Division Champions 1971-1972
FA Youth Cup 1972, 1980, 2002

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Season by season record

1886-87 – – FA Cup Winners
1887-88 – – –
Founding member of the Football League
1888-1889 Football League 2nd Runners Up
1889-1890 Football League 8th –
1890-1891 Football League 9th –
1891-1892 Football League 4th F A Cup Finalists
Football League renamed Division One upon expansion
1892-1893 Division One 4th –
1893-1894 Division One 1st Champions
1894-1895 Division One 3rd FA Cup Winners
1895-1896 Division One 1st Champions
1896-1897 Division One 1st Double Winners
1897-1898 Division One 6th –
1898-1899 Division One 1st Champions
1899-1900 Division One 1st Champions
1900-1901 Division One 15th –
1901-1902 Division One 8th –
1902-1903 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1903-1904 Division One 5th –
1904-1905 Division One 5th FA Cup Winners
1905-1906 Division One 8th –
1906-1907 Division One 5th –
1907-1908 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1908-1909 Division One 7th –
1909-1910 Division One 1st Champions
1910-1911 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1911-1912 Division One 6th –
1912-1913 Division One 2nd Runners Up & FA Cup Winners
1913-1914 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1914-1915 Division One 14th –
English football is postponed due to World War I
1919-1920 Division One 9th FA Cup Winners
1920-1921 Division One 10th –
1921-1922 Division One 5th –
1922-1923 Division One 6th –
1923-1924 Division One 6th FA Cup Finalists
1924-1925 Division One 15th –
1925-1926 Division One 6th –
1926-1927 Division One 10th –
1927-1928 Division One 8th –
1928-1929 Division One 3rd –
1929-1930 Division One 4th –
1930-1931 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1931-1932 Division One 5th –
1932-1933 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1933-1934 Division One 13th –
1934-1935 Division One 13th –
1935-1936 Division One 21st Relegated
1936-1937 Division Two 9th –
1937-1938 Division Two 1st Champions
1938-1939 Division One 12th –
English football is postponed due to World War II
1946-1947 Division One 8th –
1947-1948 Division One 6th –
1948-1949 Division One 10th –
1949-1950 Division One 12th –
1950-1951 Division One 15th –
1951-1952 Division One 6th –
1952-1953 Division One 11th –
1953-1954 Division One 13th –
1954-1955 Division One 6th –
1955-1956 Division One 20th –
1956-1957 Division One 10th FA Cup Winners
1957-1958 Division One 14th –
1958-1959 Division One 21st Relegated
1959-1960 Division Two 1st Champions
1960-1961 Division One 9th League Cup Winners
1961-1962 Division One 7th –
1962-1963 Division One 15th League Cup Finalists
1963-1964 Division One 19th –
1964-1965 Division One 16th –
1965-1966 Division One 16th –
1966-1967 Division One 21st Relegated
1967-1968 Division Two 16th –
1968-1969 Division Two 18th –
1969-1970 Division Two 21st Relegated
1970-1971 Division Three 4th League Cup Finalists
1971-1972 Division Three 1st Champions
1972-1973 Division Two 3rd – FA Youth Cup Winners
1973-1974 Division Two 14th –
1974-1975 Division Two 2nd Runners Up & League Cup Winners
1975-1976 Division One 16th –
1976-1977 Division One 4th League Cup Winners
1977-1978 Division One 8th –
1978-1979 Division One 8th –
1979-1980 Division One 7th – FA Youth Cup Winners
1980-1981 Division One 1st Champions
1981-1982 Division One 11th European Champions
1982-1983 Division One 6th European Super Cup Winners
1983-1984 Division One 10th –
1984-1985 Division One 10th –
1985-1986 Division One 16th –
1986-1987 Division One 22nd Relegated
1987-1988 Division Two 2nd Runners Up
1988-1989 Division One 17th –
1989-1990 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1990-1991 Division One 17th –
1991-1992 Division One 7th –
Founding member of the Premier League
1992-1993 Premier League 2nd Runners Up
1993-1994 Premier League 10th League Cup Winners
1994-1995 Premier League 18th –
1995-1996 Premier League 4th League Cup Winners
1996-1997 Premier League 5th –
1997-1998 Premier League 7th –
1998-1999 Premier League 6th –
1999-2000 Premier League 6th FA Cup Finalists
2000-2001 Premier League 8th –
2001-2002 Premier League 8th Intertoto Cup Winners
2002-2003 Premier League 16th – FA Youth Cup Winners
2003-2004 Premier League 6th –
2004-2005 Premier League 10th –
2005-2006 Premier League 16th -
2006-2007 Premier League 11th -
2007-2008 Premier League 6th -